NCJ Number
88492
Date Published
1981
Length
564 pages
Annotation
This survey of New York State court facilities from August 1976 through August 1981 covers the court of appeals, appellate divisions, office of court administration, the court of claims, and the supreme, county, family, surrogate's, district, and city courts.
Abstract
Statewide, functioning court facilities are located in 299 separate buildings covering 8.27 million square feet. There are over 1,000 functioning courtrooms (excluding town and village courts). It was found that 58.5 percent of the space occupied by the courts is in buildings with major inadequacies. Eight buildings have major structural problems, and 54 have acoustical problems in courtrooms. Lighting is a major problem in 20 buildings, while heating is reported to be poor or erratic in 37 buildings. Cooling is poor in 42 buildings, and 41 buildings have poor or no elevator service. A total of 28 buildings have reportedly poor service for minor repairs and maintenance. Building security is considered poor in 51 buildings; 72 court buildings have inadequate parking facilities for the public, jurors, and the staff. Many courtrooms do not have adequate or conveniently located ancillary facilities. Some felony trial courtrooms are not conveniently located for secure delivery of prisoners, while many jury boxes do not have enough chairs for alternate jurors. Many family courts lack adequate waiting rooms or juvenile detention facilities, and in a number of courtrooms, judges must walk through public areas to reach the bench. Tabular data, photographs, and floor layout plans are provided.